Northeast state legislatures and departments of labor have had a busy year with the issuance of new labor rules. While a complete discussion of all the relevant rules and regulations ag employers need to know is beyond the scope of this issue, our first Knowledge Exchange Partner article covers a few relatively new rules Northeast employers should be aware of. Our second article covers the U.S. Department of Commerce’s draft agreement with Mexico tomato growers to suspend Mexico’s ongoing anti-dumping investigation of fresh tomatoes.

Earlier this year, the USDA announced a $16 billion package aimed at mitigating the negative market effects of reduced U.S. agricultural exports. In our first article, Chris Laughton, Director of Knowledge Exchange, gives an overview of the three main components: the Market Facilitation Program, the Food Purchase and Distribution Program, and the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program. Our second article releases our updated Industry Snapshots which provide the latest business and market intelligence from our industry experts.

Forage losses from natural hazards, especially drought, can be a significant risk for forage and livestock producers. That is why Crop Growers, LLP, is pleased to provide Pasture, Rangeland and Forage (PRF) insurance. PRF can be an effective tool for producers who want income to offset losses caused by reduced forage and grazing due to lack of rainfall. The sales closing and acreage reporting date for this important risk management tool is November 15.

Due to the unique challenges of the 2019 growing season, the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced a one-time change to the 2019 crop year prevented planting rules. This change allows silage corn, if planted as a cover crop following local agricultural expert guidelines, to be allowed as a post-prevented planting cover crop as long as harvest takes place after September 1. Under this one-time adjustment, producers may produce this crop while retaining their prevented planting payment.